This list has been compiled over the years. Pick and choose what you're going to take, if you took everything here you'll be over your suitcase weight limit. You can buy everything at the resort or in Playa del Carmen, however you may pay a premium.
Medication
- any prescriptions you normally take
- Imodium or other diarrhea medicine
- Ex-lax in case of constipation
- Polysporyn (in case of cuts/bruises)
- antacid
- Advil or Tylenol
- band-aids
- After Bite
- mosquito repellent
- Safe sea (in case of sea-lice, can happen between mother's day to father's day roughly)
- hydrocortisone cream (in case of sea-lice, can happen between mother's day to father's day roughly)
- antihistamine
- throat lozenges
- cold medicine
Toiletries
- sunscreen
- suntan oil
- skin lotion
- toothpaste (there is some in the rooms, but you might not like it)
- toothbrush (also available in the rooms)
- face soap
- hair conditioner (no conditioner at Caribe/Beach but is provided at Tropical/Colonial)
- cotton balls
- Q-tips
- ear-plugs (keep handy for flight there and back also)
- deodorant
- aloe vera gel (in case of sunburn)
- razors/shave gel (some rooms have this)
- hair brush
- comb
- chapstick (with sunscreen)
- hand sanitizer - small size but take with you especially when leaving the resort, you will want to wash your hands and bathrooms with clean water are not always accessible
- make-up -waterproof if you can find it
- hairspray, gel, etc
Clothes
- long pants (for men at a la cartes)
- shorts
- skirts - girls only, I wore a short skirt over my swimsuit 90% of the time, didn't need too much other clothes, only a couple of sun dresses for the evening
- tops
- swimsuits (2 or more, alternate every day to allow thorough washing and drying)
- underwear - 1 for each day or you can hand-wash
- sandals
- aquasocks (some parts of beach away from main area has coral and rocks)
- hat
- socks
- sunglasses (with strap for more physical activities)
- waterproof watch
- bra
Electronics
- cameras
- extra film/memory cards
- chargers for cameras, etc
- extra batteries
- underwater camera or Aquapac
- calculator (credit card size for calculating currency exchange)
- plug adapter
- multi outlet extension cord
- travel clock (alarm clocks are available in the rooms)
- I-pod or other personal music player
Documents
- contact information for home - phone #s, e-mail addresses, etc.
- photocopy of passport
- passport
- drivers license
- travel insurance and documentation
- health cards
- credit cards
- bank cards
- airline tickets
- maps, guidebooks, printouts of this site!
Other stuff
- big plastic insulated mug, if you want big drinks and fewer trips to the bar
- books/magazines
- money
- US$1 for tips
- knapsack or beach bag, to carry your suntan lotion, camera, novel etc
- snorkel, mask, fins
- ziplocks and plastic bags (for dirty laundry)
- pool floats
- Small flashlight
- Bubble wrap for breakable gifts
- Duct tape
- Bungee cord
- Clothes pins
To do before you leave home!
- clean home (gets dirty even if you're not there!)
- empty garbage
- do the dishes
- arrange pet-sitter
- empty fridge of perishables
- water plants
- pay bills, rent, mortgage
- turn off water to washing machine, etc
- know how much money you have accessible in your bank account
- arrange airport transportation
- leave unnecessary jewelry at home
- get hair cut
- attach lights to auto timers
Things to bring back
- Tequila/Kahlua
- Hammock
- T-shirts
- Coral (pick up pieces washed up on the beach, never remove live coral from a reef!)
- Shells
- Sand sample (spice jar is good container)
- Mexican blanket
- Pottery
- Silver
- Postcards
- Pure vanilla
